Star Wars' Evil Legacy: How 'Darth Vader Syndrome' Destroyed Lives in the 80s

Summary:

• At the peak of Star Wars ’ popularity, every kid was terrified of Darth Vader, the franchise’s most iconic villain.
• Amid fire and smoke, firefighters looked and sounded like Darth Vader, leading to children running away and hiding from them.
• After several incidents in the 1980s, Fire Departments started regular demonstrations for kids, teaching them to trust and like firefighters.
• By the 1990s, there were barely any mentions of Darth Vader Syndrome, and today, very few people even remember that once, it was a real problem.

May the Fourth be with you, folks! Today, we’re taking a step back from the usual celebratory stories to discuss something far more sinister. Few people know about this story, so listen close. Back in the day, Darth Vader, everyone’s favorite murderous papa, extended his reach into our world from behind the screen and wreaked some havoc — including very real and very gruesome deaths.

How Did Darth Vader Syndrome Come to Be?

While the name makes it sound like a South Park joke, the so-called Darth Vader Syndrome aka the Monster Syndrome was an actual problem in the 1980’s America. In the decade that saw the release of George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy, every kid and their younger sibling watched the iconic franchise and knew its characters.

Darth Vader was a particularly terrifying character for children: a menacing dark figure in a scary inhumane mask with a loud and very distinct breathing sound following it… And of course, the numerous murders and crimes Darth Vader committed on-screen didn’t help his popularity with the most impressionable audience, too.

Fear of Darth Vader Manifested in a Horrible Way

Star Wars did an amazing job at creating its most iconic villain, but there were consequences no one could have predicted. Kids were so horrified by Darth Vader, and his features were so firmly impressed into their memory, that his figure followed them in nightmares. That wasn’t, however, the issue in itself — far from that.

The issue was that Darth Vader’s distinct features that we just described — a dark figure in an inhumane mask with a loud breathing — also applied to… Firefighters. As a child, seeing a creature from your worst nightmares come directly for you while you’re already surrounded by flame and smoke and are fading from the lack of oxygen is no joke: there can be only one reaction to the approaching menace.

Run from it. Try to hide from it. Fight it if it grabs you. Do anything to escape.

Darth Vader Syndrome Was a Real Problem

In a burning building, each second can mean the difference between life and death. Firefighters are trained at rescuing people, but even they can’t anticipate being seen as an enemy and having to chase children amid flames and falling ceilings. Despite their best efforts, firefighters could not always find their hiding targets, and several cases of children dying because of Darth Vader Syndrome happened in the US.

Terrified of a fictional villain, poor kids did anything to escape from firefighters, trapping themselves in burning buildings or wasting the very precious time that could have otherwise allowed the rescue squad to carry them out of danger. Something had to be done about the Monster Syndrome, but how? Star Wars was very popular.

How Was Darth Vader Syndrome Defeated?

The joint effort from local Fire Departments and Children’s Television Workshop fixed the problem. The latter started focusing on firefighters in their programs, explaining to kids that despite their scary appearance in full suits, they were actual superheroes and not villains; they were friends who had to be trusted under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, firefighters started doing frequent visits and demonstrations in elementary schools and kindergartens. They used their time to bond with kids, tell them about their job, and, most importantly, show them how they put on their gear. Kids learned what fully-equipped firefighters looked and sounded like and that behind the mask and the breathing noise, there was a person who wanted to help.

Soon, Darth Vader Syndrome Ceased to Exist

By the 1990s, there were almost no mentions of Darth Vader Syndrome anymore. Thanks to the educational efforts from Fire Departments and TV networks, as well as the Star Wars kids’ generation growing up, the incidents with children running away and hiding from firefighters pretty much disappeared, and the issue was forgotten.

Today, no one really knows what Darth Vader Syndrome is and how it caused deaths and pain in the 1980s. Star Wars still remains an incredibly popular franchise, but the new generations of kids prefer dressing up as the iconic villain and don’t have nightmares about him anymore; things have returned to normality.

But just in case, make sure your kids know who firefighters are and what they look like. In an impressionable young mind, a scary hero might appear to be a villain.

Source: Curtis Roberts via WGTC